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January 29, 2016- "Obesity, Diabetes during Pregnancy Linked to Autism"- A new study suggests that mothers-to-be who are both obese and diabetic have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with autism than healthier women. Researchers looked at more than 2,700 mother-child pairs and found that the two conditions in combination nearly quadrupled the risk that a child would develop autism. The research strengthens past findings which point to a mother’s obesity and the presence of diabetes as separately impacting the long-term neural development of their children. The study also gives weight to previous studies suggesting the risk for autism develops during gestation.

June 1, 2015- "Expanding Autism Program Could Help Thousands in Maryland"- This article calls for an expansion of Maryland’s “Autism Waiver” program, which provides much needed assistance to eligible children. However, there are currently 3,800 on the waiver’s registry with only 1,000 serviceable slots available throughout the state. The Autism Waiver provides children with individually tailored, one-on-one services for 30 hours a week, provides a set number of respite hours for parents, and also allows professionals to help children live well in their homes can communities.

December 18, 2014- "'Downstream' Inflammation Discovered in Autism"- In the largest RNA sequencing of brain tissue from persons with autism that have been conducted to date have discovered that the brains of individuals with autism have an overactive inflammatory process related to microglial cells, relative to persons with autism. Researchers are interested in this discovery because this common feature found in autism brain may lead to a broad treatment of symptoms without needing to know the underlying cause of each individual’s disorder.

October 13, 2014- "Scientists Gain Autism Insight -- And Possible Treatment-- By Studying Broccoli"- Researchers recently announced promising results in a small study that involved giving children with severe autism a compound called sulforaphane, derived from broccoli. The study was small, only 29 subjects, which caused it to be rejected by the New England Journal of Medicine, and was instead published in another prestigious science journal, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The researchers eagerly await the results of a larger, independent study to confirm their findings. The article mainly goes on to discuss the history of the compound and how this experiment came to be.

June 14, 2014- "High School Valedictorian Has a 4.0 GPA, is Headed to Towson University and is Autistic"- Montel Medley’s valedictorian speech was unique in that it provided its listeners with some unique insights about Medley’s autism. Diagnosed at the age of 3, Montel learned to embrace his disorder proclaiming in his valedictorian speech that having a disability does not necessarily mean you are disadvantaged. Medley, who had a unique path in getting accepted to Towson University, says he looks forward to majoring in applied mathematics.

March 17, 2014- "Teens Charged with Torturing Disabled Boy"- In what has become a trend of harassment of individuals with disabilities too disturbing to ignore, we bring you the story of two teenage girls who are behind bars following allegations of harassment against a boy with an intellectual disability. The charges include stabbing him, dragging him by the hair, and allegations of sexual assault. Sherriff Tim Cameron claims the allegations are among the most disturbing he has dealt with in his career.

October 15, 2013- "Perryville Freshman Diagnosed with Autism Pursues Love of Football"- Jonathan Cline was diagnosed with autism at age 4 and is currently a freshman on the Perryville Panthers football squad. Previously, Cline has struggled with anxiety and bullying at school, but found refuge in football. Now, Jonathan wakes up thinking about football and not about avoiding going to school. The introduction to football has help Jonathan’s confidence and helped him to make friends with teammates.

September 18, 2013- "A Chance to Learn from a Senseless Death"- Robert Ethan Saylor, who assaulted by three sheriff’s deputies who did not know that Saylor has Down syndrome and was not willingly disregarding instructions to leave his seat at a movie theatre, resulting in death. In response to this tragedy, Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland announced the creation of a commission to examine how law-enforcement officers, paramedics, and others deal with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

September 19, 2013- "Brain Activity of MicroRNAs Gives Clues about Autism"- Small Regulatory RNA molecules are most active between infancy and early childhood in a region of the brain known for complex thinking and behavior, according to a new study. The finding may provide insights into what goes wrong in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. The article continues with an explanation of how the study was conducted and discusses in greater detail how its implications relate to autism.

August 26, 2013- "College to Offer Continuing Education Training on Autism Disorders"- Chesapeake College’s Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Training will offer a series of courses on autism for anyone who relates to someone affected by ASD and desires to be more effective as teacher, caregiver, or family member. Kristen Beath, who received her Master of Education from James Madison, studied the TEACCH method at UNC, and received a Certificate in Education of students with autism from Johns Hopkins, will lead the courses. Participants will learn about the special education process and educational programming, updates on upcoming developments at the local, state, and national levels regarding laws, therapy, research, and education for people with autism as well as assistive technology available for better communication.

August 16, 2013- "Autism: Increased Risk of ADHD, Having Siblings with Autism"- Recent research from the Kennedy Krieger Institute showed that one-third of children with autism also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The article discusses the difficulties parents experience raising a child with autism and highlights some of the resources available at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

August 8, 2013- "Youth with Autism Benefit from Interaction with Horses"- This article discusses how therapeutic horse riding and sports can contribute positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of individuals with special needs. In 2008, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Fitness and Athletics Equity Act which facilitates increased opportunities for students with disabilities to pursue athletics. Activities that encourage physical activity curve the elevated obesity rate for individuals with disabilities and also help them to perform better in the classroom.

July 17, 2013- "State Department of Education Finds CCPS in Violation of Certain Autism Program Requirements"- Carroll County Public Schools officials will work to ensure they don’t miss deadlines in the future after the state board of education found several violations in the school system’s autism program. Among the allegations include the school system did not ensure students were provided with special education instruction from a qualified instructor, that the IEP team has reviewed the results of assessments procedures within the required timelines, and that the school system has not ensure that the students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs have been addressed.

June 5, 2013- "Study: A Third of Autistic Children also have ADHD"- According to a recent study, about a third of children who have autism also have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The new findings suggest that the two disorders are linked in some way. The author of the study claims that children who are diagnosed with both disorders have significantly more trouble in school than students who only have autism, and students who had both scored worse on cognitive and social functioning tests.

May 22, 2013- "Autism Fundraiser in Towson Honors Newton Shooting Victim"- Bob and Michele Gay’s 7-year-old daughter Josephine was one of the 20 school children killed in the Newton tragedy. Her memory is the motivation behind Joey’s Purple Ball, a gala fundraiser to be held at Calvert Hall College High School with proceeds going to The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The event will feature live bands, local and national celebrities, and a silent auction.

May 13, 2013- "Parents Protest School's Treatment of Autistic Students"- Nine sets of parents of children who attend New Windsor Middle School in Maryland were upset at the recent firing of their specially certified educator. Parents are upset because this change in normalcy has caused some children to act up and even become self-injurious without the presence of their teacher.

May 13, 2013- "Kennedy Krieger Offers Free Screenings to Infant Siblings of Children with Autism"- Kennedy Krieger Institute is offering free screenings for babies between 5 and 10 months old who have older siblings on the autism spectrum. According to Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger, one out five children with a sibling with autism will have autism. The center hopes to provide parents with early intervention options that can improve outcomes of children as they grow up.

May 8, 2013- "Small Organizations Give Parents of Aging Autistic Children Big Hopes"- Tom and Natalie Liniak and Whitney Ellenby, the founders of Sports Plus and Autism Ambassadors, respectively, have teamed up to create outings for teens with autism after noticing a lack of activities aimed towards this population. There are typically four events a month at gymnastic centers or waterparks and generally upwards of 300 participants a month.

April 23, 2013- "Autism Fundraiser a Family Affair for Carreras of Towson"- The Carreras family is participating in the ninth annual Kennedy Krieger Institute ROAR for Autism on Sunday in Towson. Brent Carreras was diagnosed with autism at around 18 months old by Rebecca Landa, founder and director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Brent was placed in a six-month program and has been mainstreamed ever since.

April 11, 2013- "Performer Teachers Others with Autism the Art of Comedy"- Matt Kaiser is an individual with Asperger syndrome and a professional comedian. He is currently running a new program at Towson’s Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, which has enrolled 8 adults to meet once a week to participate in scenes, improv, and prop work.

March 21, 2013- "The Medicaid Waiting Game: Parents Tell Their Stories"- This article features stories from three different parents concerned with their child’s inability to receive Medicaid waivers and their testimony to the Maryland state legislature. One parent testifies that her daughter has been on the autism waiver wait list for five years and is only at number 1,633 out of 3,900 names.

March 4, 2013- "Children with Autism Gain Language at Greater Rate than Previously Thought"- Recent research published in the journal Pediatrics indicates that seventy percent of children with autism who have a history of severe language delays are speaking by age 8. Ericka Wodka, lead author of the study, believes it is the first study of this size to look at children with severe language delays and how a child's intellectual and social abilities affected the acquisition of language.

February 9, 2013- "MD Lawmakers to Vote on Autism Funding"- Sam Broady, a 7-year-old with autism, is currently number 405 on a list of 3,900 other children who are waiting for Maryland state funding to help pay for their treatment. There are currently 900 children who benefit from those state services. Maryland is one of the states that does not mandate that insurance companies cover autism treatment, which leaves families like the Broady’s to rely on Medicaid.

February 1, 2013- "IACC Pledges More Assertive Role in Federal Autism Policy"- The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) decided in their recent meeting that they should take an active role in advising the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about public policy affecting the autism community. The article also includes a number of research developments the IACC has made since the last meeting in July 2012, some of which include new findings on brain responses to eye gaze and speech in infants who later develop autism, new autism diagnostic markers based on genetic pathway analysis are being tested, and maternal infection with febrile episodes during the mid-second trimester showed about a two-fold higher risk for ASD.

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The National Autism Network is the largest online resource for the autism community providing a social network, nationwide provider directory, events calendar, discussion forums, autism news, expert written content and thousands of resources. Our mission is to unite and empower parents, providers, family members and individuals on the autism spectrum by providing a growing community rich in knowledge and expertise with a common goal of working together to make a difference in the lives of those affected by autism. We are all in this together as one community!